Azteka

Los Angeles-based Azteka, (aka Jose Lam) has had quite a life. His father died when he was five and his mariachi singer mother was forced to pull a life together for them against difficult odds. By his teenage years, Lam had become a fixture in penal institutions and was heading down an all-too-predictable thug path. But when he was released, he made a U-turn and began working for an immigrant rights nonprofit and singing mariachi on the side. The segue into rapping came naturally, and he released his debut, the bitterly named Sueno Americano, in 2004.